Tech-nically destructible
by jojojojo01
Summary: A security breach at a laboratory linked to Spectrum's fight against the Mysteron's needs to be investigated. Colonel White sends his best men to check it out, but the results could be devastating for all involved
1. Chapter 1

I don't own New Captain Scarlet or its characters (except my own in this story)

This is my first ever fanfic it was an idea that wouldn't leave me alone so decided to give it a go. I've tried to keep it as close to the animated series of Captain Scarlet as I could but have added my own take on certain things too. Please let me know what you think.

Tech-nically Destructible?

Chapter 1

Colonel White was feeling a little uneasy.

Not because anything had happened, in fact this morning it was the opposite. Nothing had happened. It had been quiet. Quiet enough that White had been able to participate in his weekly fencing session with Captain Scarlet, and it had been a couple of months since they had been able to do that without any interruptions.

Scarlet had been reluctant during their first sparring session – Scarlet preferred projectile weapons. But since his encounter with the Mysteron replicant of Lieutenant Green's father, Scarlet had seemed to develop a new found respect for the discipline. White had noticed an improvement in Scarlet's skill and he found he looked forward to their sessions.

However the uneasy feeling that had by now taken up residence in the pit of White's stomach had been the only thing to have ruined a perfectly good morning. But unbeknown to the Colonel was that a call was about to come in that was going to make his day even worse.

"Yes of course, and you're sure that nothing has been taken?"

"Certain Colonel, everything's accounted for".

As relieved as the Colonel was to hear that, he was a little unsure as to why Spectrum headquarters had been in touch with him about this situation. Especially when there appeared to be nothing wrong, but they had insisted that White send someone to check it out, which was the reason for his call to the facility.

"Okay Doctor, but just to be sure, I would like to send some of my men to take a look around. Under the circumstances, Spectrum can't be too careful, I'm sure you understand that?"

"Yes Colonel, I'll let our security team know so they'll be ready for your arrival". With that the doctor ended the call. Once the screen went black, Colonel White turned to face Lieutenant Green.

"Get me Captains' Scarlet and Blue up here, right away Lieutenant"

"S.I.G Colonel" Green replied as she activated the comm. "Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue please report to Colonel White immediately".

"Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue" Colonel White said addressing each man in turn "I've received a report of a security breach at DragonTech Laboratories. The top brass at Spectrum headquarters want us to investigate"

"DragonTech Laboratories?" Captain Blue looked at the Colonel, confusion clear on his face.

"It's a biotechnology lab. It's known for developing medical equipment and technology. But what is unknown is its link to Spectrum"

"How's that Colonel?" Blue asked the confusion still there

"I have been informed that the lab is being used by Spectrum for top secret research Captain"

"And what is it that you need us to do Colonel?" Captain Scarlet enquired. He could understand Spectrum's concern if they were using the lab for research. But what he didn't understand was why they were being asked to visit a lab that was responsible for the development of medical technology.

"As I have already mentioned, the lab reported a security breach last night. I have just spoken to Doctor Raymond Bishop; he is the head technician at the lab. He said that security alerted him to the breach early this morning. However he assures me that nothing was taken or appears to have been tampered with" White, who had been sat at his desk rose to his feet and walked around it towards his officers. He could not fail to notice the confusion that remained on the faces of both men. "Due to the nature of the research being carried out on behalf of Spectrum, I have been asked to send someone to check out the facility. I am therefore sending the two of you to make sure that this is nothing more than a false alarm and that there is no threat to Spectrum because of this 'breach'"

"Are we allowed to know what it is they are working on Colonel?" Scarlet asked curiously. He was concerned about what it was that was so important about this lab and could it be something that could make it a target for their greatest enemy.

"Unfortunately Captain I can't answer that. Even I am unaware of what research DragonTech is conducting on our behalf. All I have been told is that whatever it is, it is something we should be able to use in our fight against the Mysterons"

"That makes the lab a perfect target" Blue spat, anger in his voice "If they believe that whatever it is that is being created in that lab is a threat..."

"I'm well aware of that Captain" White returned, clearly annoyed at Blue's reaction, although he would admit that he too had felt the same way when he had been told the news himself.

"Do they suspect that the Mysterons are involved?" Scarlet asked the Colonel before Blue could say anything else that might get him into trouble with his commanding officer. After spending a lot of time working together, and because of their close friendship, Scarlet could easily recognise when something had gotten his friend all riled up.

"It is certainly possible if they are developing something we can use which can help us defeat them, which is why I need you to go and check it out. But be discreet. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir? Scarlet said

"Only those with clearance are aware of the real reason why you and Captain Blue are at the facility. As far as everyone else is concerned, you are there to check out the lab as a potential site for the development of new medical technology to be used by Spectrum. Because of this I have asked Doctor Gold to accompany you both"

"Understood"

"And I want regular updates. Doctor Gold will meet you at the hummingbird. Dismissed gentlemen; and good luck"

"S.I.G" they both replied in unison before they exited central control and made their way to meet up with Doctor Gold in the launch bay.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much to TheRebelFlower for the lovely review

Here's the next chapter, sorry it's only short

Chapter 2

"I wonder what this technology could be that even Colonel White hasn't been let in on the secret" Blue pondered as they made their way towards DragonTech laboratories.

They had landed the hummingbird at a local airbase and were driving towards the lab in a car that had been provided for them. Captain Scarlet was behind the wheel; Captain Blue was sat behind him, with Doctor Gold occupying the front passenger seat.

"I don't know Adam, but whatever it is it must be something big for them to have kept it this quiet" Scarlet replied. He had also wondered why no one at Skybase had been privy to this information. Especially considering they were Earth's main defence against a Mysteron attack. "Although I will admit that this security breach has me concerned"

"Oh?" Doctor Gold looked over at Scarlet "I thought they had not found anything suspicious"

"But for a lab in their position to experience a security breach, which they can't pinpoint – or that nothing was taken..." Scarlet continued

"Surely if the Mysterons had targeted the lab due to this research, wouldn't they have either taken or destroyed whatever it was they had perceived as a threat?" Blue asked, understanding Scarlet's concerns

"Unless whatever it is they are working on, for Spectrum at least- isn't a threat after all" the doctor commented

"What do you mean Doc?" Blue asked again

"Maybe whatever they are working on isn't effective in destroying the Mysterons so they didn't see the need to do anything after all"

"Or maybe it had nothing to do with the Mysterons at all. Maybe it was someone from a rival company, or a disgruntled former employee-or just a simple systems glitch. Could be anything" Blue added

"You could be right – either of you" Scarlet said nodding his agreement at his companions theories "However we still need answers, even if it does just turn out to be a simple systems glitch."

"I would still feel better if we knew more about what was going on in there" Blue muttered, more to himself than the others in the car, as he turned his head to look out the window at the passing scenery.

"Just remember that as far as anyone is concerned we are here to check out the facilities. But we must stay alert, in case there is something more going on here"

"S.I.G" Blue and Gold said in reply to Scarlet's words

They continued the remainder of their short journey to the laboratory in silence. Each man contemplating about what it was they were likely to face once they got there; what the potential outcomes could be. Not only for Spectrums chances in defeating the Mysterons, but on Earth's chances too. Of course they all realised that until they knew exactly what was being developed at DragonTech and how they could use it in the fight against the Mysterons, their thoughts were nothing but speculation

' _And I have a feeling they are not going to be very forthcoming'_ thought Scarlet, as he brought the car to a stop at the security gate leading at the entrance of DragonTech laboratories.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Once they had been cleared through security, the men from Spectrum where escorted to the office of head lab technician, Doctor Raymond Bishop, by Dane Winters the head of DragonTechs security. Scarlet was amazed by the size and the scale of the labs set up. However he was also very surprised at how small the security team monitoring the site was. As if he had anticipated the doubts the Spectrum Captain had, Winter's had spent the walk to Doctor Bishop's office telling their guests about how his security team were the best at what they did and had had no problems keeping the site secure.

But Scarlet still wasn't convinced, and he could tell by the look that Captain Blue had given him that he was thinking the same thing. Doctor Bishop, who was sat behind his desk as they entered his office, rose to his feet as they were shown inside. Winter's introduced their guests

"Gentlemen, please have a seat" Bishop said, indicating the chairs on the other side of his desk. Doctor Bishop was of a medium height and build, with greying hair and wearing a pair of small, round rimmed glasses. He looked to be in his mid fifties Scarlet thought. Doctor Gold and Captain Blue took a seat, but Scarlet remained standing- he was feeling too anxious to sit down. Something did not feel right, but he could not pinpoint what it was causing the uneasy feeling he had been experiencing since they had arrived at the facility.

Doctor Bishop returned to his seat and indicated for Winter's to return to duty, he then looked at each of the Spectrum men in turn before he spoke. "I understand the reason why Spectrum felt the need to send you here gentlemen" he began, getting straight to the point. Although he had agreed to the visit, Bishop was obviously not thrilled about it yet he tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice as he continued "But as I told your Colonel nothing was taken. So I'm inclined to believe that this was nothing more than a false alarm. We have technicians in as we speak checking the system for any glitches, and I have both security teams reviewing their logs and video feeds for anything suspicious".

"Both security teams?" Blue asked the Doctor.

"Yes Captain Blue. We have our own in house security force that is under the command of Dane Winters, whom you have already met. But since we began working with Spectrum we have had to install a separate security team to watch over the project- it was part of the contract." The Doctor explained "Unfortunately when Dane found out about it, he wasn't very happy" he paused before he added "Let's just say it has created some friction"

"Anything we should be concerned about Doctor?" Scarlet asked, alarmed, at least that would explain the underlying hostility he had sensed from the security guard.

Could he have been the reason for the security breach?

"Oh nothing like that I assure you" Bishop replied dismissively while waving his hand in the air "Dane has been a security guard here since before we became DragonTech, back when we were starting out; in our Dragon Pharmaceuticals days. But he is a little old school. He didn't like it when I informed him that a new team was being brought in to deal with C Zone. That's where the Spectrum project is housed. I think he felt like I didn't trust him or his men, or that I was stepping on his toes or something"

"But Spectrum wanted you to have a separate team?"

"Like I said it was part of the contract. They installed a small Spectrum security team to work permanently on the site while the work is being done here; and because of the terms of the contract we were forbidden to disclose the truth to our own security team. Because of this, Dane felt like I have betrayed him.

"Winters did not mention that there were any Spectrum security here" Blue again

"That's because he hasn't been told they're from Spectrum. As I'm sure you're aware Captains and Doctor, the project we are working on is extremely top secret. Only those working on the project know what it is or even who it is for".

"Even our commanding officer doesn't know what's going on here" Gold commented. Bishop nodded his understanding. He was well aware that the Commander of Spectrum's Skybase had not been given the details of DragonTech's project for Spectrum. Not that he understood the reason why that was.

"Because of the nature of the project, the security team from Spectrum are here under a pseudonym. As far as our team are concerned, your men belong to a company called Rainbow Securities Limited" Blue gave a slight chuckle, amused at the name they were using.

"When can we check out the facility?" Gold asked. Looking at both Scarlet and Blue, it was obvious to Doctor Bishop that they were anxious to check over the facility to find out what had happened. But Gold still wasn't happy that they were not cleared to be given more information regarding the project itself.

"In a few moments Doctor, we are just waiting for..." As if on cue, there was a knock on the door "Come in" Bishop yelled to the person on the other side of the door. The door opened and a young man entered. He was dressed entirely in black with a black baseball cap covering his red coloured hair. His uniform was like the one that Winters was wearing, however instead of the dragon which was DragonTech's logo this man's jacket bared the logo of a rainbow within a circle.

"Ah, Lieutenant thanks for joining us". The Lieutenant gave a quick head nod, and then looked at the Spectrum officers. He stepped towards Scarlet, his hand out in front of him

"Captain Scarlet, it's an honour Sir" he said. Scarlet reluctantly shook the other man's hand. Blue tried to hide a smirk at his friend's obvious discomfort, but failed. Scarlet glared a warning at him.

"Thank you Lieutenant" Scarlet cleared his throat "This is..." he began to introduce his colleagues when the Lieutenant beat him to it

"Captain Blue and Doctor Gold" the Lieutenant continued, his enthusiasm radiating off him, despite the circumstances. He reaches his hand over to them and shook their just as he had shook Scarlet's. "I have already been briefed on the reason for your visit Sir's" he said by way of explanation "I will be escorting you over to C Zone"  
"Thank you, Lieutenant...?" Doctor Gold asked

It's Amber Sir. Or Alex if you'd prefer"

Suddenly the communication panel on Doctor Bishop's desk buzzed. "Lieutenant, if you could escort our guests, I'll meet you over there. I need to take this" he pointed to the panel on his desk by way of explanation.

"Yes Doctor" the young Lieutenant said. "Captains', Doctor, if you would like to follow me"

"S.I.G" they said as they followed Amber out of the office and through the building to the exit to head over to C Zone


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lieutenant Amber led them outside to where an electric powered car was waiting for them. They climbed in, with Amber taking the wheel.

"It's much quicker taking this thing, rather than walking, considering how vast this facility is." He explained as they pulled away heading towards C Zone "although the Zone my men and I patrol is actually the smallest in the whole facility"

"So" Blue asked "how is it that you know who we are?" Blue was seated in the passenger seat. Amber looked over at him, his face a mix of what to Blue, looked like confusion and maybe guilt?

"I told you already sir; I was briefed on your visit"

"Yeah; But the way you approached Scarlet back there..." Blue pointed over his shoulder at Scarlet who was seated behind him "you obviously know more about us than a simple briefing about our visit."

"Okay" the Lieutenant replied, a little sheepishly "I was given a full briefing by headquarters before I had taken up this posting"

"What exactly where you told?" Scarlet asked. There was a hint of annoyance in his voice as he spoke. Amber went on to tell them how he had been briefed about what had happened with Scarlet and Black's first encounter with the Mysteron's on Mars, as well as reports on some of their other encounters with the Mysterons since that day. Captain Blue was beginning to think that from the way he spoke, that Amber was under the impression that they led a glamorous, action packed life living up on Skybase. At least, it seemed, the young Lieutenant had not been informed of Scarlet's 'indestructibility'

"Ah. That explains why you looked a little star struck" Blue commented with a chuckle in his voice. The younger man's face flushed slightly with embarrassment.

"It's not every day you get to meet a legend"

"So what do you know about the work being carried out in the lab?" Scarlet asked, changing the subject. The hero worshipping thing was starting to make him feel uncomfortable. He noticed his friend trying his best to stifle a snigger and nudged the back of Blue's seat in warning.

"Nothing. Just that they are working on something which can be used to help us defeat the Mysterons. But what that is exactly, I couldn't tell you"

Amber brought the car to a stop and the four of them exited the vehicle. Amber wasn't kidding when he said that C Zone was small. Compared to the other buildings they had passed upon their arrival, the building in C Zone being used on behalf of Spectrum was relatively small. A very obvious 'Authorized Personnel Only' sign was emblazoned on the door, which had a 9 digit keypad next to it. Lieutenant Amber typed in a 5 digit code into the pad and the door buzzed, followed by the sound of a mechanism unlocking. Amber opened the door and indicated for them to go inside.

Once through the door, they were met by another guard in a 'Rainbow Securities' uniform. Amber introduced him as Sergeant Moss.

"Sir's" Moss said "I understand that you have already been through the facilities security checks. But I'm sure you will understand that we have our own checks and procedures which need to be followed" he indicated the DNA scanner which was on the wall behind them. One by one, Gold, Blue and then Scarlet placed their palms on the scanner.

"Daniel's could you go through what happened last night with our guests" Amber said to Moss, while he looked at the mobile communication device which was in his hand "I'm needed in the control room"

"S.I.G" Moss replied. They all then watched as Lieutenant Amber walked up the corridor then turned a corner out of sight.

"So" Scarlet began "What exactly did happen here last night?"

"We experience a breach in our security system. A proximity alarm sounded over on the south side of the building, but by the time we got over there, we couldn't see anything suspicious. Plus nothing appeared to have been tampered with or disturbed. We contacted both Doctor Bishop's and they came down to the lab to make sure nothing was missing"

"And everything was where it should be?" Gold asked. Moss nodded in acknowledgment

"What about security footage. Did anything show up on that?" Blue added

"We are still in the process of examining all video recordings, but our initial findings didn't find anything..." Moss's communication device beeped "Excuse me" he said as he went to answer it

Blue turned to Scarlet "So, do you think it is just a simple systems glitch. Or are you still suspecting 'foul play' on the part of the Mysterons?"

"I don't know Adam" Scarlet replied

"I for one am hoping that it is just a simple system's glitch" Gold commented

"You and me both Doc" Blue agreed

"Sorry about that Sir's" Moss said as he returned to where the Spectrum officers had gathered "Lieutenant Amber has asked me to escort you to our security control room. He believes he may have found something you should see"

"I'm guessing we don't get our wish doctor" Blue whispered to Gold as they followed Moss down the corridor towards the control room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lieutenant Amber looked up from the console in front of him as the door opened. Moss entered followed by their visitors. Scarlet could not help but notice the concerned look on Amber's face

"Is there a problem Lieutenant?" Scarlet asked as the uneasy feeling he had experienced earlier retuned with a vengeance.

"We think we may have found the cause of the security breach" Amber said "But I would like your opinion Captain?" he stepped aside so that Scarlet could get closer to the console to examine the video footage for himself

"What have you found?" he asked looking down at the screen. The image showed an empty lab – well empty of people anyway. There was a bench that was set up with computers and other equipment which Scarlet did not recognise. This was located in the middle of the room. He could also make out what looked like a water tank, which was half the height of the room, over to the left hand side of the screen. Something then caught Scarlet's eye, but before his brain had chance to register what he had seen...it was gone.

"Can you play that again? He asked. Another guard who was sat at the console hit a button and the footage rewound. "There!" Scarlet said urgency in his tone.

"What is it Paul?" Blue enquired, stepping behind Scarlet to look over his shoulder.

"Keep your eye on the left hand side of the image" he told his friend. The footage played again, both men watching the left side of the screen. "Hold it there!" he snapped. "Did you see that Adam?" Scarlet asked over his shoulder at Blue

"Was that what I think it is?" Blue responded, his mind struggling to comprehend what he had just seen.

"Yes Adam, I believe it was" turning back to Lieutenant Amber, Scarlet demanded "We need to check out that lab, right now!"


	6. Chapter 6

Posted an extra chapter as chapter 5 was a short one

Chapter 6

Lieutenant Amber escorted Captain's Scarlet and Blue to the lab that moments ago they had been watching the video footage from. He removed a key card from his pocket and swiped it at the control pad next to the door. The door beeped as it unlocked, allowing for the men to enter. Amber told the Captain's that he would be waiting outside if they needed him for anything. Doctor Gold had stayed behind in the control room, but he was watching everything through the live video feed.

Cautiously both men entered the lab, Scarlet taking the lead; this was in case there was anything which posed any kind of threat. He thought that if he was in the front he may be able to provide some sort of protection for his friend. "Well everything appears normal, I guess" Blue commented as he took a look around. "I mean, it looks like it did in that footage we just watched" he added

"Over there" Scarlet pointed to the water tank on the far left side of the room "that's where the anomaly was on the feed".

Slowly both men walked towards the tank, again Scarlet taking the lead. They looked around them as they went, keeping their eyes open for anything which may seem suspicious; although nothing grabbed their attention.

"What do you suppose this is all about?" Blue asked his friend, as he walked passed him to peep into the water tank. Looking closer, he noticed what appeared to be small black specks of dirt floating in the liquid. But as he continued to watch, it seemed, to Adam at least, like they were moving around together almost as if they were in some kind of formation. It was as if whatever it was was alive.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed. His sudden outburst drawing Scarlet's attention away from whatever it was he was looking at. While Blue had been looking at the tank, Scarlet was having a look around by the bench which contained the computers and other laboratory equipment

"What is it Adam?" Scarlet asked as he approached his friend and the tank and stopped beside him.

Suddenly there was a high pitched tone emanating from the control panel attached to the water tank. This was followed by what sounded to the men like a timer counting down.

"What the..." Blue exclaimed again

"We need to get out of here...fast" Scarlet yelled back over the noise coming from the tank as he pushed Blue towards the door. As both men turned to move back toward the door the panel let out a loud, droning 'BEEP'. Automatically both turned back to look at where the sound was coming from.

"That doesn't sound good" Blue commented, his voice barely audible over the deafening sound.

"Adam, get down!" Scarlet yelled, hoping Blue could hear him over the noise which seemed to be getting louder. He lunged forward in an attempt to push his friend out of harm's way as an eardrum shattering explosion rocked the lab; the force of which threw both of them forward.

The explosion had originated in the water tanks control panel and it had been powerful enough to have destroyed the tank itself. Shards of shattered glass were sent flying around the room. Embedding themselves into anything they came into contact with, including Scarlet's back. As the explosion hit, as well as the glass, Scarlet could feel the flames burning the skin on his back as well as the backs of his arms and legs. Before he even had time to react, the floor came up to meet him with a sickening thud; then darkness devoured him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

When Scarlet finally came too, his vision was blurred and he felt dizzy and nauseous. His ears were ringing and he could hear his heart pounding in his chest. As he took in a breath, the smoke irritated his lungs causing him to cough uncontrollably. It was then that he noticed the excruciating pain radiating down the entire length of his body. Grimacing he tried to move but realised that there were hands gently holding him in still.

"Easy Captain, try not to move" It was Doctor Gold

"What happened Doc?" he managed through gritted teeth as he turned his head to look at Gold who was kneeling over him

"There was an explosion..."

"...Adam?" Scarlet managed, his voice hoarse but the fear that his friend was hurt or worse was evident too; desperately he tried to free himself from the doctors restraining hands to get to his friend

"It's okay Scarlet he's alive" Gold told him as he looked over at Captain Blue, who was being attended by Doctor Bishop

Doctor Bishop had shown up in the control room while Scarlet and Blue were in the lab taking a look around. He had been watching the Captains' on the monitor with Gold and the Spectrum security men. When suddenly there was a bright flash on the screen before the image went dead. Then they heard the sound of an explosion from the other side of the building where the laboratory was located. Bishop grabbed a medical kit and left the control room followed closely by Doctor Gold and Sergeant Moss. The three men ran through the corridor towards the lab, when they had arrived, they found Lieutenant Amber clearing the debris from the doorway. Between them, Amber and Moss were able to clear a pathway through so that the doctors could get to the fallen men.

Gold went to examine Scarlet, while Bishop went to check on Captain Blue. Bishop began to carefully examine Blue for any obvious life-threatening injuries. He could find no broken limbs or damage to his neck. But without a more thorough examination there was no way of knowing if he had suffered any internal injuries. The most obvious injury was the wound to Blue's forehead, which had bled profusely, covering the blond man's face and hair in blood. Bishop took some gauze, which Moss had handed to him and pressed it firmly on the wound.

"How is he?" he heard Gold ask from his position next to Scarlet.

"He's unconscious; it looks like he might have hit his head on the bench as he went down. I think he may have dislocated his left shoulder, probably from when he landed on it as well as some cuts and bruises. How's Scarlet?" he enquired looking over at Gold and Scarlet.

"He's suffered extensive burns and lacerations to the back of his body" Gold informed him. "Hey, why is he wet?" Gold looked around confused. It was clear from the small fires that had been burning when they had gotten to the lab that the automatic sprinklers had not activated after the explosion. Then Gold remembered seeing the water tank on the video feed. Looking over to where it was he noticed that it was severely damaged. In fact, you didn't need to be an expert to know that that was where the explosion had originated.

"Doctor Bishop, what was in the tank that was in that corner over there?" Gold demanded, hoping that now they might actually get some real answers about what was going on here.

"Nothing to be concerned about Doctor Gold" Bishop informed him "I assure you that what we were working on was nothing that posed a threat to anyone. Otherwise your men would not have been allowed in here without protective gear"

"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it" Gold muttered almost to himself as he continued to treat Scarlet's wounds

"Excuse me!" Bishop yelled, offended by Gold's comment

"You also told us that nothing had been tampered with, yet if that had been the case, then this would not have happened" Next to him Scarlet groaned

"Doctor" Scarlet mumbled, his voice pained and weakened

"It's okay Captain, we'll get you both back to Skybase. Everything will be okay."

"Is Adam okay? You said he was alive, but how badly..." his words were cut off as pain gripped him

" I won't know how badly his condition is until we get back to Skybase" Gold told him "But it looks like he has dislocated his shoulder and will have a nasty concussion when he finally regains consciousness" Scarlet nodded to let Gold know that he understood as his eyes closed. The pain too much

"Just rest Scarlet" Gold whispered to him "You'll be fine soon enough"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

With the help of Doctor Bishop and the Spectrum security team, Doctor Gold was able to get both men on to stretchers. They were then escorted back to the airbase where they had landed in the hummingbird earlier that day. However, because of the circumstances, they were unable to return to Skybase in the aircraft they had arrived in. Instead Doctor Gold, upon informing Colonel White of their situation, had requested a medical jet to pick them up. Although Doctor Gold had had to inform the Colonel of injuries to members of his staff before, for some reason having to tell him about this was harder. He put it down to the fact that this time both Captains' Scarlet and Blue were injured; and because of the circumstances surrounding their visit to the lab in the first place. All he knew was, he did not envy the other person on the other end of the call that he knew Colonel White was going to make to headquarters after he had finished speaking to him.

"An explosion?" the Colonel said, he couldn't believe what Doctor Gold was telling him.

"Yes Colonel" Gold replied "Both Scarlet and Blue were in the vicinity when it occurred..."

Gold could have sworn that the Colonel's features paled somewhat at this news "Are they okay?" he asked, not giving the doctor chance to continue with his report of the situation "Were they injured?"

"I'm afraid so sir, although I won't be sure of the true extent of their injuries until I get them back to Skybase. But for the moment they are both stable" The Doctor then went on to describe both men's injuries as he knew them from their initial treatment after the explosion had taken place

Colonel White nodded his head and let out a small grunt of understanding

"Lieutenant Green, I need a medical jet dispatched to DragonTech laboratories immediately"

"S.I.G Colonel" Green replied before opening a comms channel to dispatched the requested aircraft

"Doctor, keep me informed of their condition"

"S.I.G" Gold said, signing off and closing down the communication

Lieutenant Green turned in her chair to face the Colonel "How bad is it sir?" Colonel White got up from his desk and walked over to where Green was seated at her console

"Adam has a severe concussion and he dislocated his shoulder"

"And Paul?" she looked up at her commanding officer

"His injuries are a little more serious. But I'm sure it's nothing for us to worry about, he's been through worse"

"S.I.G" Green said. She knew like the rest of them that because of Scarlet's retro-metabolism that he would be back to his normal self in a few days, but she was worried about Captain Blue. Although nothing had actually happened between herself and Adam, she knew she cared about him as more than just a friend; part of her was even convinced that he felt the same way about her too, although neither of them had actually admitted anything to each other.

"Don't worry Serena, they're in good hands" White said, noticing the concerned expression cross her face, he gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before returning to his desk. She really hoped that the Colonel was right because she had an unsettling feeling about this situation which she just couldn't seem to shake.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the delay posting this I kept forgetting to do it...oops

Happy New Year

Chapter 9

Thank goodness the trip back was uneventful" Gold thought to himself as he followed his medical technicians as they wheeled the stretchers carrying Scarlet and Blue from the hanger to the medical bay. He ordered his team to run scans on Captain Blue to rule out any other life threatening injuries, while he personally oversaw Scarlet's treatment.

The Doctor had removed Scarlet's uniform tunic while he was treating him back at the laboratory after the explosion had occurred and placed a temporary dressing over the wounds on his back to keep them clean during transport. Since it had been almost a couple of hours since the incident itself had taken place, Gold was expecting there to be some signs that Scarlet's wounds had begun to heal

"That's odd" he commented out loud to himself

"Doctor?" Surprised, Gold turned round to find Colonel White standing in the doorway to the treatment room. Although he was aware that White had been informed of their arrival back at Skybase, he had not heard him enter the medical bay.

"Sorry Colonel, I did not realise that you were there"

"No need to apologise Mason. Is something wrong?" The concerned look on the doctor's face had prompted White to enter the room and moved to stand next to the doctor.

"There does not appear to be any signs of improvement in Scarlet's injuries" Gold clarified

"But doesn't it usually take several hours for the retro-metabolisation to be completed?"

"Yes Colonel or longer still depending on the severity of the injuries. But there is usually some sign that healing is taking place, yet his injuries look the same as they did when I first treated him back at DragonTech"

The Colonel's eyes skimmed over the prone figure of Captain Scarlet as he lay in the bed in front of him. He was lying on his front so that his injuries on his back could be treated and White could only see the right side of his face. Scarlet looked unnaturally pale, his colour making the bruising on what White could see of his face and neck even more obvious. Even though Scarlet's eyes were closed, the Colonel was sure he saw pain in the younger man's face too; but looking at how extensive and severe the wounds were on the back of Scarlet's body it was easy to understand why.

Colonel White had witnessed Scarlet after past incidents, times when he had been shot, had fallen out of the sky, even been exposed to fatal amounts of radiation as well as a lethal disease. The Colonel had even see Scarlet brought back to Skybase already 'dead', but nothing could prepare him for this. Yes he could certainly understand the pained expression on Scarlet's face. The injuries to his back were horrific and evidence of how close he must have been to the blast when it had occurred.

"How's Adam doing?" he asked the doctor, unable to tear his eyes away from Scarlet's injuries

"He was lucky" Gold answered, not even looking up at the Colonel as his attention was focused on his patient in front of him "If it hadn't been for Scarlet here I have no doubt that his injuries would have been a lot more severe. Perhaps even fatal" the Colonel nodded

At that moment, a low, visceral groan emanated from the bed as Scarlet began to stir; his body trembled with the effort as he tried to move.

"Doctor?" he asked, his voice was nothing more than a pain filled whisper

"Easy Paul" the Colonel said, a softness in his voice that his subordinates did not really get to hear very often "Try not to move"

"Colonel..." Scarlet muttered, moving his head a fraction so he could just see his commanding officer in his peripheral vision "...back on Skybase?" his words trailed off as he spoke. His breathing was becoming laboured form a combination of both the pain he was experiencing and because he was lying on his chest.

"Yes Captain, you're in the medical bay" Gold answered him

"Where's Adam?" Scarlet asked, panic rising in his voice was he tried to look around once more looking for his friend

"You need to calm down Captain" Gold instructed him "Captain Blue is okay. Because of what you did he is going to be fine" Hearing the doctors words seemed to calm Scarlet and he visibly relaxed

"Where...?"

"He's resting in another room Paul" Doctor Gold noticed the panicked expression return to Scarlet's face after hearing the Colonel's words about where Captain Blue was.

"He'll be fine Captain; he suffered a concussion and a dislocated shoulder, that's all"

Just then a commotion outside the room drew their attention away from Scarlet momentarily. Destiny angel could be seen outside the room where she was having a heated argument with one of Doctor Gold's medical technicians. The Colonel had informed her as to what had happened when Scarlet and Blue had visited DragonTech; he had also told her that he would update her on their condition as soon as he knew what was going on himself.

"I'm sorry ma'am but you can't go in there at the moment, Doctor Gold is still..."

"It's okay" the Colonel said as he moved towards them and placed his hand on the technicians shoulder. The young man took a step back

"S.I.G Colonel" he said before walking away and leaving them both alone. Colonel White then turned his attention to Destiny. Although he had a stern expression on his face, when he spoke his voice was soft

"Destiny I thought I told you not to come down here..."

"I'm sorry Colonel but I couldn't stand not knowing. How are they?" the desperation she was clearly feeling evident in her tone. The Colonel led Destiny into Doctor Gold's office and updated her on everything he knew.

"So Adams okay"

The Colonel nodded

"But Paul's..."she drew in a gasp, clearly struggling to accept what was happening. Colonel White was about to speak again when he was interrupted by the door opening and Doctor Gold entering the office. He looked troubled

"Destiny" he said

"Doctor, what's going on?" she demanded, her voice shaking from a mix of fear and anger

"I'm running some tests at the moment to try to find an answer to that question. It appears that Scarlet's not healing like he usually would and I want to know why"

"When can I see him?" she asked looking up at the doctor, her expression desperate.

"I'll take you through in a moment. But Destiny I should warn you that the injuries to his back are extensive" the doctors voice softened as he continued "I have left his wounds uncovered so that they can be treated with a biomedical gel which I am hoping will help start them healing...normally"

"Okay thank you Doctor" Destiny said, her voice still trembling slightly

Gold gently placed a hand on her shoulder "Unfortunately it's not a pretty sight" he felt Destiny tense up at his words

"Come on I'll accompany you, I want to check on a few things anyway"

Slowly Destiny got to her feet and walked towards the door

"I will head back to central command Doctor" White said "Keep me informed"

"S.I.G" Gold said as he turned to follow Destiny out of the office and towards the room where Scarlet was being treated "I should have the test results in a couple of hours"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A couple of hours later Colonel White was sat at his desk in central command, when he was interrupted by a very agitated and angry Doctor Gold

"We need to contact the lab and find out what the hell it was they were working on" he spat as he paced back and forth in front of the Colonel's desk

"What's going on?" he asked, confused by the doctor's sudden outburst

"The test results" Gold thrust a small computer pad into the Colonel's hand. White looked at it but he was none the wiser

"I'm sorry Mason, I don't understand..." he began to ask as the doctor interrupted his question

"Whatever it is they were working on in that lab is killing Scarlet and I want to know how, why and if there is anything that can be done to stop it" the doctor demanded

"Lieutenant Green, get me Doctor Raymond Bishop at DragonTech. Now!"

"S.I.G Colonel" Green replied as she swiftly snapped to action, fulfilling White's command. Moments later she added "Patching him through to you now sir"

On the small screen in front of the Colonel, the face of Doctor Bishop appeared, filing it.

"Colonel what an unexpected surprise" the Doctor stopped, the look on the Colonel's face had him concerned "Is everything alright Colonel? Are Captains' Scarlet and Blue doing okay?"

"Doctor Bishop, I have Doctor Gold here with me" as he spoke, Doctor Gold walked around the desk to stand behind Colonel White so that he could see the video screen

"We need to know precisely what it was you were working on for Spectrum Doctor" Gold stated bluntly

"But I need permission..." Bishop stuttered, shocked by Gold's demand

"I'm well aware that you haven't been given clearance to go into detail Doctor, but a man's life depends on it". Confusion crossed Raymond Bishop's face

"I don't understand. I don't see how knowing about our research could possibly help with what is happening here"

Frustrated, the Colonel typed in a command to the control panel in front of him. When he was done he returned his full attention back to Doctor Bishop.

"I have sent you Captain Scarlet's test results. As you can see..." White let his words hang in the air as he saw the doctor's attention turn away from him for the moment as an alert could be heard in the background, indicating that the doctor had in fact received the file the Colonel had just forwarded to him.

A look of horror and confusion crossed Bishops face "This isn't possible Colonel" he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Doctor, I'm sending a hummingbird to collect you and bring you to Skybase"

"But..." Bishop started to protest at the Colonel's words

"Doctor" Gold interrupted "We need you to help us to understand what is going on here and it will be easier to do that face to face. Besides you need to be here to tell us everything"

"But I've told you already, I'm not authorised..." he tried protesting again

"Believe me Doctor, by the time you arrive at Skybase, you will be authorised. And as Doctor Gold says it would be better to do this face to face than over the comm. Wouldn't you agree?" Reluctantly the doctor admitted defeat.

"Very well Colonel, my wife and I will come to your Skybase and see if there is anything we can do to help"

"Thank you Doctor. We appreciate your co-operation in this matter. You will receive further instructions shortly. I suggest you get yourself ready. Skybase out" With that Colonel White ended the communication.

"Lieutenant Green I want Captain Magenta to take a hummingbird back to DragonTech as soon as possible to pick up the Bishops and bring them back to Skybase asap. Is that clear Lieutenant?" White ordered abruptly

"Yes Sir" Green replied. Under normal circumstances, she would have probably felt a little hurt at the Colonel's tone. But she understood perfectly how important this situation was; as well as how worried the Colonel was about Scarlet even though he may not admit it to anyone under his command.

"I better return to my patient Colonel" Gold said before making his way towards the lift which would take him to the medical bay. The Colonel watched as his friend left central control. He certainly did not envy his friend for the burden he was so obviously carrying. He knew that the Doctor would do everything he could to save Scarlet's life until he could do no more. In comparison, White- despite being the commanding officer on Skybase-had pretty much done all that he could for his part. All except..

"Lieutenant, put me through to the office of the World President"

Now he had a fight on his hands to find out the exact reason why one of his men was dying.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the delay in posting an update. After a review from TheRebelFlower, I have come up with a slight change in my original story idea. it has also resulted in me making a slight change to the end of the previous chapter. thanks

Chapter 11

Doctor Gold returned to the medical bay. When he had left to speak to Colonel White, he was hoping that he would be returning with some answers. Instead he felt like he was returning with more questions.

Just what was it that DragonTech was hiding? Gold prayed that the Colonel would be able to gain the authorisation needed to obtain that information. He also hoped that Doctor Bishop would be able to give them a solution, and soon. Because if he was being perfectly honest, Gold had no idea how much time Scarlet had left. So they needed answers quickly.

But Gold had to admit, that Bishop's reaction to Scarlet's test results had him worried. The Doctor genuinely did appear shocked and confused by them. So either he was wrong when he said that it was safe for them to be in the lab or the Mysterons had done more than just cause the laboratory explosion

Unless, Gold thought as a third possibility occurred to him, that Doctor Bishop had lied to them and it wasn't safe after all. Besides if he had then he was a really good actor, because the reaction he gave when he received Scarlet's test results was Oscar worthy. No. Bishop seemed genuinely confused by what was going on, so until he had any evidence to the contrary, Gold decided he was going to give the man the benefit of the doubt.

When Gold reached the medical bay he immediately went to check on how Scarlet was doing. As he got nearer Scarlet's room, other than the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor, he could make out the hushed voices of Destiny Angel and Captain Blue. Stopping in the doorway, the doctor cleared his throat before he spoke

"You should be resting Captain"

Captain Blue, who had been sat next to Scarlet's bed with his back to the door carefully turned around so that he could see the doctor.

"I'm fine doc, really...besides I wanted to check in, see how Paul's doing" he looked back at his friend and a wince crossed his features. Gold couldn't tell if it was because of his own injuries or from looking at those his friend had sustained. "It kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it...seeing him like this I mean" Blue finished, his words confirming Gold's previous suspicions about the real reason for the blond Captain's reaction. But unsure of how to respond, the doctor just nodded sombrely

"I see his still sedated" Gold commented, pointing out the obvious. His eyes did a quick scan over the readouts from the medical devices surrounding Scarlet's bed before resting on Scarlet himself "Although under the circumstances it's probably for the best"

"Still no developments doc?" Blue asked him

"The Colonel is trying to get us more information, and he has sent Magenta to DragonTech to bring Doctor Bishop back to help us"

Both Destiny and Blue knew that Colonel White would do whatever he could to take care of his people. But Blue wasn't naive and he knew that the Colonel wasn't either. They were both military men and they understood that sometimes sacrifices were unavoidable. Sometimes they needed to be made for the greater good. The question was weather of not those at headquarters thought that it was worth risking something that could potentially end the war with the Mysterons for the life of one man?

But Scarlet wasn't just any man. He was vital in Spectrum's fight and everyone on Skybase knew that. Hell even those at headquarters even knew how important Scarlet. In the end all Blue cared about was getting the help to save his friends life regardless of the consequences. Even if it made him appear selfish, only thinking of his friend rather than the greater good.

"Do you think they will let us know what's really going on?" Destiny asked, interrupting Blue's train of thought "I mean, what would happen if they don't..." her voice choked up as she spoke, she really didn't want to think about what would happen

"Then we'll find another way, right Doc?" Blue asked, trying to sound more confident and reassuring than he actually felt.

"I promise you both, I will do everything I can to help him"

"We know you will. Thank you Doctor" Destiny said, her voice quiet and strained

"Now then Captain. You need to get some rest..." Gold held his hand up to silence the young man before he could protest "I'm willing to let you to go back to your own room, if you promise to get some sleep"

"Don't worry Doctor, I know someone who will keep an eye on him for you" A wry smile crossed Destiny's face. Blue shot her a look, then he too smiled when he realised what she had meant

"Don't worry Doc, I'm not planning on doing anything crazy anytime soon" he lifted his arm which was in a sling slightly, then regretted it when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. It was obvious that Doctor Gold noticed by the raised eyebrow he sent his way

"Okay Doc, I'm going" Blue said, chuckling, his uninjured hand raised as if in defeat. Slowly he got to his feet. "Would you at least let me know when Doctor Bishop gets here?" he asked as he made his way towards the door "Or when Paul wakes up"

"Of course Captain" Gold told him. The doctor then indicated to one of his medical team "Could you help Captain Blue to his quarters"

"Yes Doctor" the assistant replied making his way towards Blue. The Captain was about to protest but the look the doctor gave told him not to bother. Instead he just nodded in agreement and slowly left the medical bay with his escort in tow.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Captain Blue reluctantly left the medical bay and returned to his quarters. Not that he had much of a choice since he had had an escort courtesy of one of Doctor Gold's assistants. Yet as much as he had tried to convince the Doctor that he was fine, the moment he stepped into his room and the door closed behind him, he realised how tired he really felt. But he would never admit it to Doctor Gold.

Slowly, he lowered his tired and aching body down on to his bed. He carefully rearranged his pillows so he could prop himself up and reclined back into them, an involuntary sigh escaping his lips. Within minutes he was asleep

A while later Blue was awakened by the doorbell to his room, chiming. Groggily he called out "Come in"

The door opened to reveal Lieutenant Green. She walked in, a huge smile on her face. But the moment she saw Blue lying propped up in his bed the smile faded and she stopped

"Sorry Adam did I wake you?" she asked, although the way he was blinking as if he was trying to wake himself up, answered the question for him

"Let me guess, Destiny asked you to check up on me?"

Green chuckled "She wanted me to make sure you were resting and I wanted to see how you were doing?"

"I'm okay thanks Serena" He shifted slightly trying to sit himself up a bit more. Stepping forward, Serena plumped the pillows behind him and fixed them so that he could make himself more comfortable. "Thanks" he said, smiling up at her. His eyes fixed on hers, and for a moment neither of them moved.

"Any news on how Paul's doing?" he asked Green, breaking both the silence and eye contact. She shook her head

"Doctor Gold told the Colonel that he had been sedated"

"Yeah he had" Blue confirmed "But I'm not sure how long the doc was planning on keeping him under for"

Green took a seat on the edge of Adam's bed; her hand was inches away from where his was resting. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to reach out with her hand and place it on his. To Serena it looked like he needed the comforting touch of another person. She could never begin to understand how he was truly feeling right at this moment after everything that had happened. Especially when Adam was used to Paul being the one who couldn't get hurt and now he was the one who was fighting for his life in the medical bay. She could see from the look on his face that Adam was trying his best to hide how he was truly feeling at the prospect of losing his best friend, but he couldn't fool her; she knew he was scared.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, shifting his focus from thoughts of his friend to her instead. He hadn't missed the concerned and worried expression on her face as she walked into his room and he knew that it was because of him and Scarlet

"I'm doing okay" she answered him. In part she was telling him the truth. Physically she felt fine, but other than that she was feeling as worried as everyone else was right now. Not only was she worried about losing a friend she was worried about how, if it did happen, it would affect Adam. From a professional perspective she was worried about how Scarlet's loss would affect their fight against the Mysterons.

"I think the worst part is the not knowing" Blue said with a sigh "I mean we don't know what was going on in that lab to begin with...what it was they were working on...and if it was such a danger... why wasn't anything said..."

"It's okay Adam" Serena could tell that he was starting to get angry and frustrated so she tried to calm him down

"How is it okay Serena?" he snapped "Paul's in the medical bay dying and no one will tell us why...how is that okay" She desperately wanted to hold him in her arms to comfort him, and was about to do just that; but at the last moment she realised that due to his injuries that that simple gesture could cause him more pain. Instead she placed her hand on his. As if grateful for the contact, he gripped her hand in his. For an instant both of them looked down at their hands, then back up at each other. It was then that she saw the fear and pain in his eyes and she knew it wasn't because of his own injuries.

"I know you don't want to lose him Adam, none of us do"

"How is Destiny, have you had chance to speak to her?" he asked changing the subject suddenly

"Not really, she was on duty earlier when I was and I know that the Colonel has offered to let her take some time off, but I think she is just wanting to keep busy" she replied with a small sigh

"I know how she feels, if it wasn't for this stupid thing" he said indicating the sling on his arm "I'd be on duty myself rather than sitting here..." he finished, his voice trailing off

"Adam, you need to rest, you could have died in that explosion too...if it wasn't for Paul..."She stopped; she knew that she didn't need to finish that thought out loud. Blue just nodded at her, he then let out a sigh of his own which quickly turned into a yawn. He tried his best to hide it but it was too late.

"I'll leave you to get some rest and don't worry I'll let you know if anything happens, okay"

With that she got to her feet and turned to face Blue, once again adjusting his pillows.

"I'm glad that you're okay" she said quietly as she leaned forward and gave Blue a quick kiss on the forehead. Then she froze and a look of embarrassment crossed her features at the same time as her cheeks turned a subtle shade of red. With that she turned and swiftly left his quarters.

Blue leaned back into his pillow and closed his eyes, and for the first time since this nightmare had began, a smile formed on his lips as he drifted off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Decided to post a double update as this chapter is rather short. Hope you like it

Thanks to TheRebelFlower for your support, I really appreciate it. Jo

Chapter 13

Destiny had just completed another shift and was about to head to her quarters to freshen up when she suddenly changed her mind. Instead she headed to the medical bay to see how Paul was getting on. The truth was she knew that there couldn't be any change in Pauls condition otherwise Doctor Gold would have informed her. She just really didn't want to be alone in her quarters right now.

As she entered the medical bay she made her way over to the room which Scarlet was being kept in and entered just as Doctor Gold was finishing up his latest examination

"Hey Doctor, how's he doing?

"Oh hi Destiny" Gold said looking up from Scarlet to greet her "There's no change I'm afraid. I'm just waiting for the sedative to wear off" regret was clear in his tone of voice as he spoke

"Is it okay if I sit with him for a little while?" Destiny asked. Although she was tired and knew that the best thing for her to do would be to go to her quarters and rest: she knew that there was no way she would be able to sleep properly anyway right now. She was too worried...and scared.

"Of course Destiny, but don't go over doing it. I want you to make sure that once you've finished here you go to your quarters and get some sleep"

"Yes Doctor" she replied, trying her best to keep the annoyance she was feeling out of her voice. Although she knew that the Doctor meant well and that he was only concerned about her health, she also knew that her reaction was because she was feeling tired and scared.

Destiny entered the room where Scarlet was and took a seat next to his bed. As she sat there she gently held on to his hand, needing the contact with him. The room was silent apart from the sound of the heart monitor beeping quietly in the background. Scarlet was still under the effects of the sedative that Doctor Gold had given him several hours earlier. As she sat there holding his hand, Destiny thought about how her relationship with Paul had changed over the last year. She realised that if it hadn't been for what had happened when Scarlet and Black had first encountered the Mysterons, and if the Mysterons hadn't changed Paul, then he would have died in that explosion or many of the other situations he had faced while with Spectrum. It also meant that Conrad would not have 'died' and her relationship with Paul wouldn't have begun.

At that thought Destiny felt a pang of guilt, but her thoughts were interrupted by movement coming from the bed.

Paul was waking up.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Doctor Gold he's waking up" Destiny shouted, drawing the Doctors attention to her rather that the reports he was looking at

"Destiny?" Scarlet rasped, his voice sounding weak as he spoke "What happened?

"You were hurt in an explosion, Captain" Doctor Gold said as he entered the room to stand next to Destiny at Scarlet's bed side

"Explosion?" Scarlet replied momentarily confused. Suddenly the memory of what had taken place while at the lab emerged clear in his mind "Adam!" he demanded trying to get up from the bed so he could look around for his friend

"Easy Captain, you need to take it easy"

"Where's Adam?" Scarlet begged Gold, fear evident in his pain riddled tone

"Apart from a few cuts and bruises, a mild concussion and a dislocated shoulder, Captain Blue is fine. In fact he's resting in his quarters" Gold told him. It was clear to the Doctor that his words had reached Scarlet because he visibly relaxed "If you'll excuse me a moment I'll just go and let Colonel White know that you're awake" With that the Doctor returned to his desk to contact central control

"How are you feeling?" Destiny asked returning her attention to Scarlet

"I've been better" he said with a small smile on his lips as he tried to lighten the mood once he noticed the look of worry on Destiny's face "I guess the explosion was worse than I thought it would be. But at least Adam's going to be okay"

"Only because you pushed him out of the way in time and shielded him from the worst of it" Destiny informed him turning away suddenly as tears filled her eyes. She didn't want Paul to see her upset, not now. Yet instinctively he knew that something was wrong; that something was bothering her and it scared him because he had a feeling it was something to do with his condition

"Destiny what is it?" he demanded in a voice he hoped would sound stronger than it actually did. As he spoke the heart monitor began to beep faster, showing his fear

"Paul...I..." her words were cut off as the door opened and Doctor Gold walked in followed by Colonel White. Destiny could also make out Captain Blue standing outside the room anxiously waiting for news.

"Glad to see that you're awake Captain" White said as he approached the bed in which Scarlet was lying "How are you feeling?"

Destiny quietly left the room, leaving Scarlet to talk to the Colonel and Doctor as she went outside to speak to Blue

"How's he doing?" Blue asked his concern evident in his tone and on his face

"I'm not sure. He says he's okay but I think he's lying so he doesn't worry me, but he knows something's not right. I think he was just about to ask me what was going on when the Colonel turned up"

"You mean he doesn't know" Blue snapped, an angry expression on his face.

"He's been unconscious Adam how could he" she snapped back.

"I'm sorry Destiny I didn't mean to..." he replied is tone and features softening as he realised that he had upset her with his reaction "I'm not angry at you, it's just..."

"I know Adam, I'm scared too"

"Colonel what's going on?" Scarlet asked, turning his head as best he could to look at the Colonel. He knew something wasn't right. Not only because of how he was feeling but because of the way everyone was looking at him

"I'm afraid I have some bad news Captain" Doctor Gold began

"The way I'm feeling isn't just from being caught up in that explosion is it"?

The Doctor shook his head "I'm afraid not"

"Then what is it? I thought that because of what the Mysterons had done to me I would be ok I've been caught up in explosions before and never felt like this..." Gold looked over at Colonel White, they were both concerned by Scarlet's reaction; neither man had heard him like this, it was obvious he was terrified

"From an ordinary explosion you would have Captain. But there was more to this than a simple laboratory accident" Gold continued

"What do you mean?" Scarlet asked trying to look from one man to the other but he couldn't quite turn to look at the doctor because of the way he was lying and where Gold was standing "Colonel, will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" The heart monitor began to race clearly indicating how agitated Scarlet was becoming

"Calm down Captain" White commanded "It won't do you any good to get worked up like this"

Just then the doors to Scarlet's room opened and Destiny walked through, followed closely by a bandaged and bruised Captain Blue, his left arm in a sling across his chest.

"Adam" Scarlet croaked, relieved to see that his friend was up and about "I'm glad to see you're okay"

"Only because of you Paul" Blue said as he made his way over to the side of Scarlet's bed so his friend was able to see him properly; and so he was able to see his friend better too.

"Captain" Colonel White addressed Captain Blue "I thought you were supposed to be resting?"

"I'm sorry Sir, but when Doctor Gold told me that Scarlet was awake, I wanted to see how he was"

"Yes quite" the Colonel responded nodding his head in understanding.

"I was just about to inform Scarlet of his condition..." Doctor Gold said his voice trailing off with the look the Colonel gave him

"Perhaps" the Colonel interjected "it would be best if I informed everyone of the situation"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"As I have been given a brief rundown by Doctor Bishop as to what it was they were working on down at DragonTech and I will explain it as I understand it. In an hour Doctor Bishop and his wife will arrive on Skybase and should be able to give us a better explanation."

"Colonel?" Scarlet rasped quietly. It was clear to everyone in the room that Scarlet was in a lot of pain even if he was too stubborn to admit it

"Paul we don't have to do this now, you need to rest..."

"No Colonel, I want to know what is going on...please." Scarlet practically begged

Colonel White cleared his throat before he began "Unfortunately I wasn't informed about the research that DragonTech was conducting on behalf of Spectrum until a little under an hour ago" White paused and rubbed his chin with his right hand while he contemplated how best to continue. "As I told you in your briefing before you left for the lab, they were working on ways to help Spectrum in our fight against the Mysteron's. Their research involved using Nanotechnology to destroy Mysteron duplicates.

"Nanotech!" Scarlet gasped "But how?"

"By using similar methods to those that we employ to detect Mysteron duplicates- using blood samples"

"So that was why there was a security breach at the lab. The Mysteron's were after the Nanotech?" Destiny asked

"That's what I believed at first, but then I remembered what Doctor Bishop told me during out first communication -that nothing had been taken..."

"So it was a setup" Blue interrupted angrily

"To lure us in?" Scarlet asked, his voice beginning to sound even more strained

"Paul you need to rest" Destiny soothed, resting her hand in his cheek before she gently stroked him on the side of his face; trying as best she could to calm him

"I'm afraid that's the conclusion we have reached as well Captain" the Colonel continued "They rigged the lab to explode, which in turn distributed the Nanotech..."

"Which infected you" Doctor Gold added regrettably

From what they could see of Scarlet's face because of how he was lying, he looked both shocked and confused "But surely my retro-metabolism should have fixed this; plus Adam seems to be okay...unless he wasn't affected" Scarlet was becoming agitated, the heart rate monitor began racing again.

"Captain you need to remain calm" Doctor Gold began preparing a sedative to use in case he needed to help calm Scarlet down

"Unfortunately Captain you were infected with the nanotech" White stated rather matter of factly, as his gaze shifted between Scarlet and Blue "You both were"

"How?" Blue asked bluntly, a slight tremble in his voice

"The way I understand it, the nanotech was designed to respond to Mysteron DNA and to ignore human DNA. Although you were infected Adam" White told him softly "The nanotech didn't activate because it detected human not Mysteron DNA..."

"But I wasn't so lucky. Was I?" Scarlet rasped

"I'm afraid Captain" Doctor Gold said taking over from the Colonel "That because of your unique 'circumstances' that the nanotech has become active" the Doctor paused unsure of how to continue. He recalled the time he had had to inform Scarlet about his condition; about him being 'virtually indestructible'. Now he had to tell him that the same condition that had saved his life so many times and had become an advantage was now about to become a curse. "Yet due to your retro-metabolism, the nanotechnology has been unable to complete its work –for lack of a better word"

"We do however, have the Biotechnologist who designed this technology on their way to Skybase to help us fix this" White commented, trying to sound more reassuring than he actually felt

"Colonel White" Lieutenant Green's voice sounded over the comm. White walked over to the comm. panel to respond "Go ahead Lieutenant?"

"Sir, I have heard from Captain Magenta, they will be arriving at Skybase in five minutes"

"Thank you Lieutenant. Once they have passed through security have them escorted to my office"

"S.I.G" Green said as she closed the communication

"I'm going to go and welcome our guests" White said returning to Scarlet's bedside. Looking down at Scarlet, White saw a grimace cross the younger man's face, it was clear that he was in pain. "Make sure he's comfortable Doctor" and with that he left

Doctor Gold looked at those left in the room and decided that it too was time for him to leave. "I have some more tests I need to run. Call me if you need anything" he mumbled as he exited the room.

"Nanotechnology" Scarlet sighed as he tried to shift slightly into a more comfortable position, but failed to find one. He sighed again and they could see him scrunch his eyes shut

"Paul?" Destiny whispered "Are you okay, do you want me to get Doctor Gold to come back?" At her words he slowly opened his eyes and did his best to shake his head in response to her question. The expression on his face hinted that that movement alone was painful.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him

"I don't know" he replied "Guess I just need some time to process this" he told her

"Yeah, I get that. But how are feeling? Are you in any pain?"

Slowly he tried to shake his head again and instantly regretted it as the movement pulled at the skin on his injured back. He tried his best not to wince but both Destiny and Blue saw it anyway.

"I'm just tired" he said in a quiet voice and his eyes closed again

Destiny looked up at Captain Blue who was stood on the opposite side of the bed to her, concern and regret written across her face "I have to go, I'm scheduled to be on duty in a few minutes"

Blue nodded is understanding "Don't worry I'll stay with him" he told her

"But Adam you should be resting too" Destiny argued

"I'll be fine" he reassured her

"I'll see you later Paul" she said as she gently placed a kiss on Scarlet's cheek and gave his hand a squeeze. She reluctantly headed towards the door to leave the room, but as she reached it, she stopped and turned back towards Scarlet's bed.

"Don't worry Destiny; I'll let you know if anything changes, okay"

"Thanks Adam" and with that Destiny left


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

After Destiny had left, Blue placed a chair next to Scarlet's bed and slowly sank into it, letting out a slight hiss as he did so. He was still aching after the explosion and his left shoulder and arm were throbbing relentlessly.

"You should be resting" Scarlet said, his voice barely more than a whisper, his eyes still closed

"Paul I'm fine. Really...just a little stiff that's all"

"I know you remember Adam, you're too stubborn for your own good; you know that"

"I'm stubborn" Blue shot back "What about you?"

"What about me? Scarlet replied letting out a shaky breath

"Come on Paul it's me you're talking to now, so be honest with me here"

Slowly, Scarlet opened his eyes and looked over at his friend "About what?

"About how you're really feeling" The look Blue gave him made Scarlet realise that it didn't matter what he said because his friend already knew the truth.

"I don't want Destiny to worry okay. I just want to protect her for as long as I can" he decided to say instead

"Protect her from what?" Blue asked surprised by his friends answer. He expected Scarlet to say he was fine and not to worry.

"From this" as Scarlet answered, his body clearly tensed as a wave of pain washed over him. His eyes scrunched up and he gritted his teeth until the sensation had passed.

"You don't need to lie to me about being in pain Paul...or about being scared" Blue said quietly as he leaned in closer to his friend "It's normal to feel that way under the circumstances" he added, knowing well enough from personal experience.

"I can handle this. Okay Adam" Scarlet managed, his voice strained. Yet the intensity that Blue saw in his friends eyes told him that he was telling him the truth; but the fear and pain that his friend was feeling was clearly visible too.

"Okay, but you promise you'll tell me if that changes, right?"

"I promise. Now go and get some rest Adam, you look like hell"

Blue left the medical bay, yet instead of heading to his own quarters, he decided to head for the officers mess instead. Walking in, he found the room surprisingly empty. Slowly he made his way towards the window and took a seat on the nearest sofa and stared out at the clouds.

He understood Scarlet's reason for being so stubborn; he knew he was the same way. Hell he'd acted the same after he was injured during one of their mission's months earlier. What should have been a simple enough mission to retrieve a stolen Druzniuk had resulted in Blue taking a gunshot to the stomach; and like Scarlet was doing now, he had acted like his injury wasn't that bad even though at the time he knew he was dying.

"Hey Adam, I wasn't expecting to see you in here" Captain Ochre called out as she entered the room.

"What?" Blue's attention broke from his thoughts as he looked up at Ochre "Oh hey Elaine, sorry I was miles away"

"I could tell" she told him, her voice light "Are you okay?"

Blue just nodded

"I thought you'd be resting up in your quarters, not sitting in here" she commented as she walked towards him and taking a seat in the chair opposite him

"I know I just couldn't face being alone right now" Blue admitted

"And yet here you were sitting alone" she teased slightly

"Yeah, well I thought that there'd be someone else in here when I arrived" he said, his tone a little sullen

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked again, her concern making her Irish accent sound even stronger

"I'm fine, really..." he replied but didn't finish

"You're worried about Paul, aren't you?"

He nodded in reply

"He'll pull through...he usually does" she told him reassuringly. Ochre thought that she was saying the right thing, but judging by how Blue's body tensed at her words she realised that something wasn't right "He will, won't he Adam?"

"Things are little more complicated than just his injuries from the explosion...he's...he's" when he looked up to look at her, Ochre could see the tears that were welling up in the blonde Captain's eyes; threatening to fall

"Oh Adam" she gasped as she moved over to sit by his right side, her hand resting on his forearm in a comforting gesture

"I'm okay" he told her as he moved his arm away from her grasp so that he could wipe his face

"Clearly you're not..." she began, but the look he gave made her stop midsentence "I'm here if you want to talk" she said instead

Blue got to his feet and walked over to the window so his back was to where Ochre was still sitting

"I just don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him" he admitted after a few minutes. "I mean, he's my best friend...my brother...facing the situations we do knowing that nothing can...I mean it helps, you know, knowing that he'll always come back..." he sniffed and once again wiped his hand over his face

"I know"

"...and now, he's in the medical bay and nothing is helping him to heal...he's lying there in pain and I can't do anything...I hate feeling so helpless" he finished and took in a deep, shuddering breath. What was happening to Scarlet was clearly having an effect on Blue too. Slowly Ochre got up from her seat and made her way over to where Blue was standing. He noticed the movement of her approach out of the corner of his eye and he turned to look at her; and that was when she saw it. He was feeling guilty

"I'm sure it helps that you're there for him" she said trying her best to comfort him

"He wouldn't even be in this mess if he hadn't been trying to protect me..."

"Adam, this isn't your fault. Do you hear me?" she insisted "you can't blame yourself...and I know that Paul wouldn't want you to either"

At that moment as Blue was about to respond, Colonel White's voice came over the comm. Dr Bishop had arrived on Skybase.

Maybe now they would get some real answers


	17. Chapter 17

Here's the next chapter. Would love to hear what you think

Chapter 17

Lieutenant Green personally escorted Dr Bishop and his companion to the command centre so they could speak with Colonel White before they went down to the medical bay to see Doctor Gold.

"Doctor Bishop" White said rising to his feet to shake the other man's hand. The Doctor took it enthusiastically

"Colonel it's nice to meet you in person" he replied

"If it wasn't for the circumstances I would probably agree with you Doctor" the Colonel responded, annoyed at the overly enthusiastic and cheerful manner of the doctors greeting. It angered him that the man could be so happy when one of his officers' lives was hanging in the balance. The Colonel wasn't naive. He knew that the doctor's presence on Skybase did not guarantee a solution to save Scarlet's life, but it certainly raised the odds in their favour. Although White had been trying to mentally prepare himself for the worst ever since Doctor Gold had informed him of Scarlet's condition, it hadn't meant that the Colonel had come any closer to accepting it. The truth was that although what had happened to Scarlet because of the Mysterons had been difficult for them to accept when it had first happened, it had since made White's job a little easier knowing that Scarlet was able to survive pretty much any situation he walked into.

So the last thing anyone had expected was for an inspection of a lab that was supposed to be helping Spectrum to be the reason that Scarlet was now lying in the Skybase medical bay, dying.

"Colonel" the doctor continued, oblivious to the Colonel's inner turmoil "Allow me to introduce my companion and wife, Doctor Yelena Bishop"

"Doctor" The Colonel nodded, acknowledging the female doctor

"Colonel" she replied, her voice calm and authoritative, a stark contrast to that of her husband's "If it's alright with you, we would like to get started right away"

"So do you think it's possible to save Scarlet's life?" he asked

"I'll be honest with you Colonel, we aren't one hundred percent sure at this stage" she stated in rather a cold, flat tone

"Unfortunately we had not foreseen this sort of complication when we were designing the weapon" her husband added

"Raymond" Yelena hissed

"It's quite alright Doctor" Colonel White said to her "Captain Scarlet's a unique individual and his special circumstances are a well-guarded secret- much like your research. If we had each been aware of what was really going on all this could have been avoided"

"Of course Colonel" Raymond Bishop said, his demeanour changing as if he had only just realised the seriousness of their current situation. "Unfortunately that was out of our hands..."

"Would it be possible to see Captain Scarlet now?" Yelana asked before her husband said something else to annoy the Colonel. Although White hadn't said anything to contrary it was clear to Yelana that her husband's words were bothering the Skybase commander. So she wanted to stop him before he said something else which would cause further tension between themselves and the Spectrum officers.

"Of course Doctor's I will escort you to the medical bay personally- if you would follow me" White held his hand out in the direction of the elevator. Once the three of them were inside, the Colonel pressed the button and within seconds they were on their way to the medical bay.

As Colonel White entered Skybase's medical bay followed by their guests, he noticed Doctor Gold sat at his desk looking at his console. The doctor looked tired and more than a little frustrated. He looked up from whatever it was he was working on when White approached him

"Mason, everything okay?"

"Under the circumstances" the doctor shrugged. White could hear the exhaustion in the Austrian doctor's voice as he spoke. "I was just going over Scarlet's latest scans"

"Any change?" White asked, feeling hopeful. Gold sadly shook his head

"Nothing positive I'm afraid. I had hoped that his retro-metabolism would have begun to make a difference by now but..." his voice trailed off, like he was unable to find the words-or just couldn't bring himself to say them, White wasn't sure which.

"I'm hoping that with the help of our guests, that we will be able to find a way to help Scarlet" White said, looking through the door into the adjoining treatment room where Scarlet lay; in the silence White could hear the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. That was when Gold noticed the man and woman who had entered behind the Colonel. The man he recognised as Doctor Bishop, but he had never met the woman who was with him.

White quickly introduced Gold to Doctor Yelena Bishop and Gold gave the two Doctor's an update on Scarlet's condition; as well as a brief explanation about Scarlet's retro-metabolism. Once the update was finished, Colonel White excused himself and left the medical bay.

"Is he okay?" Yelena Bishop asked Doctor Gold, she appeared to be genuinely concerned about the Colonel

"As I'm sure you can understand" Gold answered "It's difficult for the Colonel when someone under his command is injured while on duty. Due to Scarlet's unique circumstances, this has been a little more difficult, not just for the Colonel but for us all to deal with"

"Because of Scarlet's unique circumstances?" the male Doctor Bishop asked

"Scarlet's retro-metabolism has meant that he has been able to put himself into situations that any other person probably wouldn't survive...he's even come back from the dead on several occasions. So when both Captains' Scarlet and Blue were injured in the explosion..."

"You expected him to recover the same way that he always has" Yelena commented, knowing exactly what the Doctor was going to say. Gold nodded

"I'm guessing that Scarlet's what is it you call it...his retro-metabolism" Gold nodded again "this is why he is still alive?"

"From what I understand from the information I have regarding your work, I believe so, yes"

"Are those your latest scans?" Raymond asked indicating the read out on Gold's console.

"Please," Gold said, moving aside so that the other man could have a look at his findings. As Raymond Bishop looked over the latest scan results, Gold noticed that his wife's attention was elsewhere. She was staring into the room where Scarlet was lying.

"Would you mind if I go and speak with him?" she asked Doctor Gold as he came up alongside her.

"Of course not, I have told him that you were on your way down; I'm sure he would like some real answers about what is happening to him" Gold told her as he led the way into the other room. Quietly they both approached the bed containing the injured Captain Scarlet. Gold walked over to the right side of the bed toward where Scarlet's head was located

"Scarlet" Doctor Gold whispered, so as not to startle his patient. "Doctor Bishop is here to see you; do you feel up to talking to her?" As she got nearer the bed, the extent of Scarlet's injuries from the explosion became more apparent and it took all her self-control not to flinch at the sight of them.

Scarlet's eyes opened slowly and he blinked several times, allowing them to adjust to the dim light of the room "of course not Doc" he croaked, his voice barely more than a whisper "her?"

As Scarlet spoke, Doctor Gold stepped aside so that Doctor Bishop could step forward and take his place

"Captain Scarlet, I'm Doctor Yel..." she froze, her words catching in her throat. Doctor Gold looked over at her, confused. The colour had drained from her face and no one could deny the obvious expression of shock and surprise on her features

"Oh my god..." she whispered as her gaze fixed firmly on Scarlet's face "...Paul"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Scarlet tried his best to look up at the newcomer standing next to his bed, but due to his position and his injuries, it was a struggle. A look of confusion crossed his features but only for a few seconds before his brain caught up

"Yelena?" he asked weakly, unsure if he was seeing things or not

She nodded

"You two know each other?" Gold asked surprised by what he was seeing

"From many years ago" Doctor Bishop answered, her gaze still locked firmly on Scarlet. Yelena couldn't believe what was happening. She had never imagined that Paul Metcalfe would end up back in her life again and yet here she was walking back into his. Over the years she had often wondered what would happen or how she would feel if she ever saw him again. Would he hate her for how she left?

' _Well'_ she mused _'if he doesn't hate you already, he will when he finds out that you're the reason why he's in this mess'_

Subtly she shook her head to try and clear the crazy thoughts that were rattling around in it.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Scarlet, more to break the awkward silence than anything else, as it was very clear that he was in some considerable discomfort and pain.

"I've been better," he told her. It pained her to hear how weak he sounded, the man she knew always sounded so strong and confident when he spoke.

"If you two will excuse me," Doctor Gold said in a hushed tone "I'll go and check on your husband," he told Yelena before he left the room

"Your husband," Scarlet asked, surprised that she was married

She nodded "Raymond Bishop, you met him when you were at the lab"

"Yeah, I remember. Why are you here?" he asked her

I'm...I mean we are here to try and fix this" she gestured to Scarlet. "You see my husband and I are the ones responsible for your situation...

"What happened at the lab wasn't your fault" he managed, his voice starting to sound more and more strained

"...but we are the ones who created the Nanotech which is currently..." she stopped unable to say what she was thinking

"Invading my body" Scarlet winced, finished the sentence for her.

"For lack of a better word, yes" she nodded "If we had understood your situation then we would never have allowed you to enter the lab in the first place, not without protective gear" she went on, her voice wavering slightly as she spoke due to the guilt she was feeling.

"And if we knew what it was you were..." Scarlet's voice trailed off as his whole body suddenly tensed as a spasm of pain hit him, overwhelming him and stealing the air out of his lungs. As the spasm passed, Scarlet drew in a ragged breath

"Paul?"

When he was finally able to speak again his voice was barely more than a whisper "Can you stop this?"

"Honestly, Captain, I'm not sure yet" Raymond Bishop said as he entered the room to stand next to his wife "We will have to run some tests and scans of our own before we will know for certain" With that a couple of Spectrum's medical technicians entered carrying trays containing different pieces of medical equipment, they then went about taking some more blood samples from Scarlet so the Bishop's could run their tests.

"But we'll do everything we can Paul I promise," Yelena told Scarlet as reassuringly as she could. What neither of them noticed was the look in Raymond Bishop's eyes when he heard his wife talking to Scarlet in a familiar manner.

A short time later, once the technicians had finished taking their samples, both Doctor Bishop's were in the room with Scarlet when the door hissed open. They both turned expecting to see Doctor Gold entering the room but were surprised when a tall, blond man wearing a Spectrum tracksuit with a blue trim entered. His face was cut and bruised and his left arm was in a sling. He walked past the two doctors and came to a stop alongside Scarlet's bed

"Adam" Scarlet's voice was hoarse as he greeted his friend

"Hey Paul" Blue replied as he took a seat next to Scarlet

"Ah, Captain Blue" Raymond Bishop said, suddenly recognizing the rooms newest occupant "I'm glad to see that you're doing okay" The expression on Blue's face changed from one of concern to that of disgust in a matter of seconds as Raymond Bishop spoke.

"No thanks to you Doc" he spat as his gaze moved over to the Doctor who was standing over the other side of the bed

"I was not the one responsible for the explosion Captain" he spat back, clearly not liking what Blue was insinuating

"If you had told us what you were working on" Blue yelled

"It was out of my control. I told you I wasn't able to give you any details...you didn't have clearance..."

"Clearance?" Blue replied his voice getting louder as he was getting angrier

"Gentleman please" Yelena snapped quietly, yet her voice was loud enough to get the attention of both her husband and Captain Blue "This is not the time or the place" she scolded

"Sorry Paul" Adam said sheepishly, looking down at his friend

"It's okay Adam" Scarlet replied and despite the pain, he was in, he managed a small chuckle in response to his friends' obvious concern. Scarlet knew that the only reason that Blue was angry wasn't he had suffered some injuries in the explosion. His anger was because he was scared to lose his friend.

"I think we owe them the truth Ray," Yelena Bishop said as she placed her hand gently on her husband's arm. This contact drew his attention away from Blue and his posture seemed to relax under her touch.

Reluctantly he agreed

"I believe that Colonel White will want to hear this too," She said, directing her words towards Blue, who nodded and left the room to contact his commanding officer. When he returned, he informed them that the Colonel was on his way to join them.

Several minutes later an apprehensive Colonel White entered Scarlet's room. Both of the Bishop's stood on one side of Scarlet's bed, while Blue and Doctor Gold were on the other. The Colonel could feel the tension as soon as he walked in

"Gentlemen," he said, trying to ease the awkwardness in the room "and Doctor Bishop" he added, looking over and nodding a separate acknowledgment to Yelena Bishop.

"How are you feeling Paul?" he asked Scarlet as he came to a stop at the foot of the bed. There was a real concern in his tone and features as he spoke. Despite having seen the injuries which Scarlet ad sustained in the explosion, they still seemed to take his breath away and he had to work hard at keeping his repulsion in check.

"I'm okay, thank you Colonel" Scarlet replied, his voice strained and thick with pain. Hearing the indestructible Captain Scarlet sound so weak felt so wrong to the Colonel. Just like anyone else who knew Scarlet, they knew how strong and authoritative that voice could sound; and not for the first time the Colonel inwardly cursed those had kept this weapon so secret. Especially those who knew precisely what it was that the Bishop's were working on and who also knew about Scarlet's unique situation...surely some sort of warning had been warranted.

"Colonel" Yelena Bishop began, drawing White's attention away from Scarlet "I understand that what we are about to tell you will mean we will be violating our contract with the World Council. However, under the circumstances..." her gaze moved down to Scarlet momentarily and White could have sworn that he saw genuine affection and concern there. He was sure that her husband had seen it too because the expression on his face darkened considerably – if only for an instant before he composed himself

"Besides Colonel" Raymond Bishop continued "As you are already aware of the nanotechnology..." his shrug said the rest.

White sighed "Okay Doctor's when you're ready"

Yelena Bishop took a deep breath and began


	19. Chapter 19

Sorry to keep you waiting for this update. I promise I'll try my best not to do that to you all again ;)

Chapter 19

"As you are already aware," Yelena Bishop began, "the office of the World Council approached us when they learnt of the medical research we were conducting using nanotechnology."

Her husband continued. "We were looking into its use in helping repair internal injuries without the need for invasive surgery."

Yelena nodded. "We also looked at its use regarding DNA restructuring."

"I thought that was illegal?" Blue interrupted, surprised that not only were the doctors able to get away with conducting this type of research, but that the World Council seemed to be encouraging it.

"It was understood that our work was only for medical advancement Captain, besides there was a time where our work was halted; I won't bore you with the details...besides we don't have time," Raymond explained briefly

"Our medical research was not designed to hurt people Captain," Yelena added, her voice low.

"And yet..." Blue snapped, gesturing to his injured friend

"Building weapons was not our initial intention. But the research we were conducting is very important and it was the only way we were allowed to continue," Yelena answered back, her voice tight. Clearly she did not like what the blonde Captain was implying.

"We built a failsafe into our nanotech which meant that it would automatically self destruct if someone tried to use it for something other than what it was designed for," she added.

"So why did the failsafe not work this time?" Blue asked. He was still angry and Yelena Bishop couldn't blame him for feeling that way, but this time when he spoke his tone was more neutral.

"It did," Raymond Bishop shot back, defensively. "The nanotech we were working on for the World council was designed to target and destroy Mysteron DNA, not human."

"How could you be sure that was the case?" White asked curiously.

"Because we tested it," Raymond replied tersely.

"What!" Blue gasped. "You used human guinea pigs?"

Scarlet tensed. Whether it was from pain or Blue's comment no one could be sure.

"Of course not," Bishop snapped back.

"Then how?"

"I tested it on myself," Yelena Bishop said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

The others in the room were shocked by her revelation; all except her husband anyway. Even Scarlet seemed to appear pained by her words.

"Just as with Captain Blue, the nanotech remained dormant and was absorbed back into my system. No harm done."

"Okay, so you already knew what you were using was safe in regards to human DNA" Gold said "But what I was wondering was where you got the Mysteron DNA from?" a murmur from Captain Blue showed that he too, wanted to know.

Both Doctor's Bishop looked over at Colonel White. When Gold and Blue followed their gaze and too looked over at their commanding officer; despite looking composed, they saw that he had visibly paled.

"Because I gave it to them" he said bluntly.

"But the closest thing to Mysteron DNA that we have..." Gold's words trailed off as the enormity of the situation sank in.

"Are you saying that you gave them Paul's DNA?" Blue asked shakily as he understood what Gold was implying.

"That's correct Captain," White replied somewhat coldly.

"I can't believe this...you betrayed him by allowing this..."

"That's enough Captain," White commanded.

"Adam..." Blue looked like he was about to continue, but the sound of Scarlet's voice stopped him.

"I understand you're angry Captain. But I assure you that at the time the request was sent to me, I was unaware of the reason for it. Or what the sample was going to be used for."

"If we had know what it was we were given, or knew of Paul's circumstances, I promise you we would have done everything we could to protect him," Yelena said trying to lessen the tension between Captain Blue and his commanding officer. Yet as she spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper, and filled with emotion. Tears began to fill her eyes and she quickly fled the room.

"Excuse me," Raymond Bishop anxiously rushed out of the room in pursuit of his wife.

Yelena Bishop's reaction had confused Colonel White, so too had her obvious familiarity with Scarlet. When he looked over to his officers, White saw a similar expression on Blue's face; Doctor Gold on the other hand did not seem to share their confusion.

"What's going on Mason?" White asked, his voice taking on its usual authoritative tone.

"I think Colonel, that if Scarlet is feeling up to it, you should ask him." With that Doctor Gold excused himself and left the room, returning to his office. Both Blue and White looked down at Scarlet. Even though his eyes were closed, he wasn't sleeping.

"Scarlet?" The Colonel finally spoke. Scarlet's eyes opened and focused on his commanding officer "Do you know what that was all about?"

It felt like every time he looked at Scarlet, the man was looking weaker and weaker. But under the present circumstances he was sure that it wasn't just his imagination. His most valuable officer and his friend was slipping away from them; knowing that he was part of the reason made the guilt White was feeling even worse.

"You know her, don't you Paul?" Blue asked his friend. Scarlet gave a slight nod of his head in response to the question.

"Wait," Blue said as the realisation hit, "was she the one you told me about...the one from your training days?" Scarlet gave another nod as he closed his eyes. It was clear that that was all the injured Captain could manage in his weakened state.

"White looked down at Scarlet then up at Blue. He was about to speak when the younger man held a hand up, indicating for his commanding officer not to say anything.

"You get some rest okay Paul. Destiny said she'd call in when she gets off duty."

"Destiny..." Scarlet muttered quietly to himself as he appeared to fall asleep, although under the circumstances, Blue was certain it was more likely that the pain meds had made him pass out.

Blue indicated to the door, leading both men out of the room before he spoke again. "Sorry about that Colonel."

"Under the circumstances there's no need for you to apologise Adam. Do you know what that was about?"

Blue shrugged his good shoulder "Kind of Sir. Paul told me once about this biologist he was seeing back when he was in the academy."

"Yelena Bishop," White murmured in understanding.

"I believe so Sir," Blue paused and looked down at his feet, unsure if continuing was such a good idea. He really didn't want to divulge too much information about his friend's private life; especially in light of new developments.

"Look Adam, I had no idea what Scarlet's DNA sample was needed for. Believe me if I had known it was being used for something that could do this..."

"It's okay Colonel, I understand. Paul would too," Blue responded cutting off White's words "You were following orders; I'd have probably done the same."

"Just because it was an order, it doesn't make it right," White said his voice low. Blue was surprised by the Colonel's words; he had never heard him sound so unsure about his actions before.

"Sir, we all know the risks we take doing this job and fighting an enemy like the Mysterons, it just creates more risks because we never know what they're going to do next."

White was surprised by the conviction in the younger mans eyes as he spoke.

"The Mysteron threat," Blue continued "doesn't just effect us...It effects the whole population of the planet."

"And Scarlet is our best weapon against them to protect Earth," White interjected.

Blue gave a nod "Perhaps. But as much as I hate to say it Colonel, what if this is the only way he can save everyone."

White hated to admit it, but Blue was right. Could he really justify not sacrificing the life of one man in order to save billions?

"Are you implying that we don't try to save Scarlet?" White asked. The look of regret that came over the Captain's face had already told the Colonel what Blue thought before his answer even left his lips.

"Honestly Sir, you know I would do anything I could to save Paul...but if they are able to find a way to save him..."

"There is nothing to stop the Mysteron's finding out and making the weapon useless."

Blue nodded.

"When I was injured during that mission in Ragnarok, Paul tried to help me first. I made him leave me so he could stop them...I was willing to sacrifice myself so that the world could be saved. I know Paul would willingly do the same thing."

"And he has many times...sacrificed himself to save the lives of others," White said.

"Only his time, he won't come back from it," Blue added solemnly as his gaze diverting to a spot on the floor. It was obvious how painful all this was for him.

Gently, White placed a hand on Blue's good shoulder, trying to comfort the younger man.

"I will still allow the Bishop's to work on finding a way to save him Adam, but if there is any trace of interference by the Mysteron's..." The rest went unsaid but Blue knew what White meant.

That he would rather destroy their work and sacrifice Scarlet then let the Mysteron's get their hands on any of it.

"I need to get back to Central Command, and you need to get some rest."

"SIG," Blue sighed reluctantly.

White remained where he was as he watched Captain Blue leaving the medical bay. As much as White had no doubt that Blue had meant his words in regards to making sacrifices for the greater good, it was clear that the actual action itself was not so easy to swallow. Perhaps Blue, like everyone else on Skybase had become so accustomed to Scarlet surviving, that thought of him not meant that the reality of it was all the more difficult to face.

' _I just hope that the history between Scarlet and Doctor Bishop doesn't interfere with all of this,'_ White thought to himself as he left the medical bay and returned to his desk.

Yelena Bishop fled the medical bay and entered the quarters that they had been assigned since coming to Skybase. As soon as the doors into the room closed behind her, she dropped to the floor- her legs no longer able to hold her. She had tried so hard to fight the emotions she had been feeling since she had arrived at the Spectrum base. When her husband had told her that the explosion in their lab had resulted in their nanotechnology slowly killing a member of Spectrum, Yelena had found it hard to believe. As she had told everyone in that room, she had tested the technology on herself and had experienced no issues with it. However, once White had told them about Scarlet's unique situation, it had made the possibility all the more real.

But once she had walked into his room and found out that Captain Scarlet was Paul Metcalfe...she struggled to deal with the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. Even now, she had no idea how she had managed to explain to the Spectrum officers the reason for their research before she had to get out of there. The only reason why she hadn't fled the room sooner was because the shock of seeing him had her rooted to the spot. But knowing that the DNA they had used to develop the weapon belonged to the man that it was now killing, the guilt had become too much for her to handle and she felt like the walls of the room were closing in. She had to get out of there.

But what made the guilt worse, was that the man she had wanted to marry all those years ago was the man that her life's work was responsible for hurting. The man who she had struggled so hard to get over - had thought she had gotten over. Yet seeing him again had brought all the old feelings flooding back. As her legs buckled underneath her, tears filled her eyes and streamed down her face. She only wanted to help people, not hurt them.

Especially not him,

Suddenly the doors hissed open, and her husband rushed into the room. "Lena, are you okay?" he asked as he dropped down to floor beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't know," she sobbed, as tears continued to fall.

"What is it darling?" he asked tenderly. Yelena shook her head, indicating that she wasn't ready to talk about it. That was when everything clicked into place for her husband.

"That's him, isn't it?" he asked her, his voice more demanding than tender now. Reluctantly, Yelena nodded her head, as more tears fell down her face.

"I should kill him myself for what he did to you..." he raged as he got to his feet and moved back towards the door.

"Raymond, please," Yelena pleaded as she too got to her feet and grabbed her husband by the arm. "It's not what you think..."

"He abandoned you..."

Yelena shook her head. "He wasn't the one who left...I was," she confessed, unable to look her husband in the eye. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I was ashamed, and..." tears once again began to fall.

"You know I would have understood if you had told me the truth. I love you Yelena, you mean everything to me."

"I know," She sobbed.

"So he doesn't know about..."

"...I never told him." She admitted cutting him off; her shame evident on her features.

"Okay," Raymond nodded in understanding. "We'll help find a way to help Scarlet and then deal with this later. Do you think you can you manage that?"

Yelena nodded. "What are we going to say if they ask why I ran out of the room?" she asked in a small voice.

"We'll just tell them you got a little overwhelmed that an old friend was hurt. Does that sound okay?" Again, Yelena nodded.

"We'll get through this," he reassured her as he guided her over to the bed and sat her down. Taking a seat next to her, he again wrapped his arms around her and held her until the tears had stopped.

Yet despite his wife's confession, hatred still flowed through Raymond Bishop. He knew that going back out there and helping to save the life of the man that had caused his wife so much pain, was going to be one of the most difficult things he had ever had to do.


End file.
